The Easiest Fish Curry

At home we are mostly vegetarian. Making fish curry is something that our mother convinced us was a major event requiring great planning and stringent execution. The days we made fish at our place we kept out of her way. We would be silent and forgiving and my father would escape on the pretext of paying bills or some such errand.


 It could be that we lived in a neighborhood of brahmins and in order to avoid offending them my mom would be extra vigilant about the discarding of the waste and that my father being a picky eater required that the fish be 'extra clean', whatever that meant. So fish curry was a 'special' once or twice monthly treat. 


Fast forward to after my wedding,  I moved to Kerala to live with my husband and the in laws and here fish curry was a daily thing!, like sambar. 
Except for Mondays, when my mother in law would undertake a 'fast' (meaning no non-veg!!)for the 'long life' of her husband and like at my place this would be the day everyone would keep out her way. She was very strict that she would do this every week, no matter how much it annoyed her, since he had suffered quite a few health problems in his lifetime. And invariably there would be sambar or avial for lunch. The only two vegetarian dishes she deemed worthy of lunch; with lots and lots of coconut. 


Enough said that soon after the wedding i ended up putting on a lot of weight and being a kitchen virgin I couldn't fathom why, since my eating habits hadn't changed much. It took my in laws taking off to the US for a holiday and me finally learning how to cook for me to figure out that it was due to the astonishing amount of coconut she used.


Now, since fish curry was a daily thing at home it was done pretty mindlessly. While my mom toiled to make sure every dish coming out of the kitchen was perfectly seasoned my mom in law was more easy go lucky. If the dish lacked salt she would just shout out the maid to fetch the salt shaker and everyone could just shake out what they needed. As long as there was plenty of mota rice, fish curry with lots of coconut in the gravy, lunch was served!!


So this fish curry is the first one i attempted. She didnt actually teach it to me. Walking through the kitchen I would watch her stand in front of the mixie grinding the coconut mixture for so long that over time i just caught on.


Easiest Fish Curry Ever!!


Fish - 1/2 kilo or any amount. 
Coconut - 1/2 (grated)......could be more, read on
Chilly powder - 2-3 Tbsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - Depends...1/2 Tbsp- 2 Tbsp
Tamarind - lime sized ball (dunno why but every recipe i see this seems to be the 'default' amount)
Ginger - An inch (again seems to be a default amount, every recipe)
Shallots, Garlic, Green Chillies - Either one or both or all or neither

1. Grind the coconut to a fine thick paste in a mixie using water. You may also grind shallots, garlic with this, if using (too lazy? dont bother!!!) Let the mixie run for atleast 2-3 minutes. If in doubt...grind some some more.
2. Now for some colouring.....Add the chilly powder and grind until you get an orange color (like say kadai paneer? saffronish?) (you might need a lot..dont worry the sweetness of the coconut will offset any spiciness)
3. If you want and have some around,  add some coriander seed powder to get a brownish curry. (variation)(skip the first time you try this)
4. Add salt to taste.
5. Heat some oil in a pan, temper with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds (or not!) add some curry leaves.
6. Pour in the thick paste (add some water, so much that it will cook down to a thick gravy in 15 min...or not!!)
7. Add sliced ginger, slit green chillies (if using) some tamarind paste (too lazy? just throw in the tamarind) and check for seasoning.
8. Once it boils add fish  and cook for 15 - 20 min or until fish is done( it will swell).
9. Ta-da!  Fish curry done. 
10. No frying or sauteeing, no messy coconut milk extractions, no guessing how much kudampuli, no roasting masalas NOTHING, what you have is a very rich, almost sweet fish flavoured sauce. Go ahead gobble it down with some rice and watch the pounds pile on!!

Kerala Fish Curry

My mother is a Kitchen snob. She is the kind of person who when asked for a recipe will proceed to leave out the main  ingredient. Even if you are her daughter. Especially if you are her daughter!!
She is a pretty good cook though, our ample figures will vouch for that. She is not an easy person to live with but  even our husbands will proceed to bear her tyranny long enough to taste all the special stuff she cooks for them when they do gather up the courage to visit her. 
I had been trying to figure out this fish curry since sometime, always getting it wrong. After long experimentation I kind of stumbled upon the right proportions and then proceeded to make it fool proof by repeating the dish every day of the week. 
Kudampuli is sort of a keralite speciality but I never liked the almost muddy sourness it lent to the fish curry when used alone. I only realised this after tasting my mother in laws curries. I had to sneak up on mom to find out that she combined it with tomatoes to make it more palatable (well, atleast to me!) 

Tomato Fish Curry


Fish - 1/2 Kilo 
Tomato - 2
Onion - 1 (Shallots are better - use a couple)
Ginger - 1 tsp (chopped)
Garlic - 1 tsp (chopped)
Green Chilly - 3 
Chilly Powder - 4 tsp ( this is the spicy kind, if using kashmiri chilli you can use more, adjust to your personal spice tolerance)
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp (may be omitted)
Coconut - a handful (grated) (I know thats not an accurate measurement, so maybe - 1 cup)
Curry leaves - a sprig or two (how much can you spare? i just love them...)
Kudampuli (Gambooge) - 3-4 pieces
Coriander leaves - 3 Tbsp (chopped finely)
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp (Im sure my mom uses a lot more but i dont!!)

1. In a small container sprinkle the kudampuli with a tsp of salt and pour over some boiling water. Keep aside.
2. Finely chop the onion, garlic, ginger. ( In a pinch 'crush' in a mixie). 
3. Chop the tomatoes. (separately)
4. Heat coconut oil in a pan, temper with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and some curry leaves.
5. Saute onion till brown, then add garlic and ginger and cook for few seconds(30). Or just saute the onion garlic ginger  paste (if thats what you did)
6. Cook above until golden brown (until it begins to brown)
7. Add the tomatoes and saute until it is well cooked and almost a paste like consitency.
8. Once tomatoes are cooked add the chilly powder and  coriander powder, sprinkle some water over and cook for atleast a minute. Taste it at this point and adjust spiciness.
9. Grind the Coconut to a fine paste using water(1/2 cup). (very important...if you dont grind the coconut enough the gravy will be grainy.
10. Add this to the pan followed by  the kudampuli. You can also add the water the kudampuli was soaked in. (Taste and see,  i personally like my curries extra sour, avoid using the water if the tomato has already lent sufficient sourness to your preference.)
11. Slit the green chillies and add to curry along with some fresh curry leaves and let it boil for a while(2 min).
12. Check seasoning. Add salt if required. Keep the gravy slightly watery (consistency of full cream milk) since it will cook down.
13. Place the fish pieces in the curry and cook for 15 minutes or until done.(The fish will swell )
14. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. (I know this is an unconventional ingredient in fish curry but it really does give this curry something!)
15. Enjoy with steamed white rice or tapioca. 
16. Best to cook the curry early and allow the flavors to settle for a few hours. Reheat and serve.